Temperature regulator



July 18, 1944. J. v. GIESLER TEMPERATURE REGULATOR -Filed April 14, 1941' Patented July 18, 1944 TEDIPERATUBE REGULATOR Jean V. Giesler, Knoxville, Tenn., assign'or to The Fulton Sylphon Company, Knoxville, corporation of Delaware Tenn, a

Application April 14, 1941, Serial No. 388,517.

5 Claims.

This invention relates to temperature regulators, and more particularly to a temperature regulator adapted to automatically control the flow of either. a heating or a cooling fluid.

If a single thermostatically operated valve is to control the flow of either a heating fluid or a cooling fluid to maintain a desired temperature condition or range its operation in response to the thermostat must be reversed depending upon whether a heating fluid or a cooling fluid is being controlled; 1. e., if the valve is operating to control heating fluidanincrease in temperature above the temperature to be maintained requires that the valve be moved toward closed position to decrease .the quantity of heating fluid being admitted to the heat exchanger, whereas if the, valve is controlling a cooling fluid an increase in temperature above that which is to be maintained requires a movement of the valve toward open position to increase the amount of cooling fluid flowing to the heat exchanger.

It is an object of this invention to provide an improved single thermostatically operated valve which is associated with means whereby the aforesaid reversal of operation is effected.

gaged its 'seat and thereby prevent injury through development of excessive pressures.

Another object of this invention is to provide a device of the type characterized which is easy to adjust, simple in character, inexpensive.

to manufacture and install, and certain in operation.

Other objects of the invention will appear as the description thereof proceeds.

The invention is capable of receiving a variety of mechanical expressions one of which is illus- Another object of this invention is to provide a device of the type characterized which operates automatically to efiect the desired reversal of operation depending upon whether the system is supplied with a heating medium or a cooling medium. Another object of this invention is to provide device of the type characterized which functions to progressively vary the flow of the heating medium or the cooling medium, as the case may be; in order that the valve mechanism may take up that position for predetermining the flow of the medium which corresponds with the maintenance of the desired temperature and thereby avoids the intermittent operation characteristic of -'a valve which moves from wide open to fully closed position, or vice versa, at each action, with the con sequent disadvantages incident to that character of control of the flow of a heating medium or a cooling medium.

Another object of this invention is to provide a device of the type characterized which maybe readily and accurately adjusted to predetermine the temperature to be maintained so that close modulation may be effected.

Another object of this invention is to provide a device of the type characterized wherein ample provision is made for overrun if the temperature trated on the accompanying drawing, but it is to be expressly understood that the drawing is for purposes of illustration only, and is not to be conr strued as a definition of the limits of the invention, reference being had to the appended claims for that purpose.

The drawing shows in elevation and somewhat schematically an embodiment of the present invention, it being expressly understood that the relationship shown between the parts of the structure connected by tubing has been selected merely for convenience of illustration.

As shown, the embodiment of the present invention selected for explanation of the-invention consists of two thermostatically operated valve mechanisms so related that one p're'determines the direction of flow of the medium under control through the other, the latter determining the quantity of medium flowing to the heat exchanger and including a temperature responsive bulb, which may be disposed at any suitable distance and at any suitable location and relationship with respect to its valve mechanism, and means for adjusting the operation and response of said valve mechanism, which also may be located at any suitable distance and. at any suitable location and relationship with respect to both said bulb and said valve mechanism. Both thermostats are preferably of the liquid expansion type.

In'the embodiment illustratedthe thermostatically operated valve mechanism for determining the quantity of medium flowing to the heat exchanger includes a bulb l 0 connected through any suitable piping, such as a capillary tube l l, with with any suitable thermosensitive medium, pref-' erably a liquid. Bulb 10 may be of any suitable size, construction and material, being shown as provided with circumferentially extending ribs l3 so that it may be subjected to the ambient of a room or other compartment whose temperature is to be controlled and be sensitively responsive continues to rise after a valve-member has ento variations in temperature thereat. Tube H is,

'movable end wall 42.

secured in any suitable way to one end of said bulb, and at its opposite end tube H is connected in any suitable way to a housing member M in communication with a passage l5 leading to said chamber I2. Housing member H has a tubular wall l6, and at its inner end it is appropriately flanged and retained by a nut l1 on a shoulder |3 provided in the casing I3. Chamber l2 has its outer wall formed by said tubular wall l6 and its inner wall formed by an expansible and collapsible corrugated tubular metal wall or bellows 23 having one end suitably secured to a flange 2| formed on or fixedly attached to wall I6 and its opposite end suitably secured to a movable end wall 22.

End wall 22 is engaged with the stem 23 of a double seating valve member 24 adapted to cooperate at one face with a ported seat 25, here shown as formed on a ring 26 suitably secured in the casing, and at its opposite face with a ported seat 21, here shown as formed on an inner wall of the casing. Cooperating with said valve member 24 is a coil spring 23 which reacts between. said valve member and a, seat formed on the casing, said spring reacting between said seat and said valve member to hold the stem 23 continuously in engagement with the movable head 22 of the bellows 23.

Casing I9 is provided interiorly and in any suitable way with passages 33 and 3| leading to the valve seats 25 and 21 respectively and adaptedto be placedin communication through the valve ports with an outlet passage 32 leading to any suitable heat exchanger disposed at any suitable distance and location and relationship with respect to the casing l3.

The determination as to whether the medium under control shall flow through the passages 33 or 3| is effected by the second thermostatically controlled valve mechanism referred to and which includes a double seating valve member 33 cooperating with opposed ported valve seats 34 and 35, the former being shown as formed on an inner wall of the casing I3 and the latter being shown as formed on a ring 36 secured in the casing I9 in any suitable way. The port in seat 34 is in communication with the passages 33, and the port in seat 35 is in communication with the passages 3| through the thermostatic chamber 31 formed in a tubular extension on the casing l9. Mounted in said chamber 31, and preferably carried by a closure member 33 threaded into the end-of said chamber, is a thermostatic device including a fixed tubular wall 33 secured in a recess of said closure member and having at its opposite end a flange 43 formed thereon or suitably attached thereto and to which is suitably secured one end of an expansible and collapsible tubular corrugated metal wall or bellows 4| whose opposite end is suitably secured to a Projecting interiorly of said ibellows 4| from said end wall 42, and mounted on or suitably attached to said end wall 42 is a tubular wall 43 flanged at its free end 44. Slidably mounted in the aperture of said flange 44 is a valve stem 45 having a head 46 that is pansi ble and collapsible chamber 5| defined exteriorly by the tubular ,wall33 and defined interiorly by the bellows H is filled with a suitable liquid which is'in heat interchanging relationship with the fluid in chamber 31 and also inheat conducting relationship with the metal walls ing through passage 55 which may communicate with any suitable sources of heating and cooling medium provided with suitable valves for determining whether the heating medium or thecooling medium shall flow through said inlet passage 55.

The first described thermostatically operated valve mechanism for determining the quantity of medium flowing to the heat exchanger is preferably provided with mechanism for adjusting the same so as to predetermine the temperature to be maintained thereby. To this end, as shown, the passage I5 in the housing member I4 is also in communication through any suitable piping, as a capillary tube 53, with a passage 51 in a block 53 which, may be mounted at any suitable distance from and-at any suitable location and relationship to the casing I3. Block 53 has formed thereon or suitably attached thereto a post 69' lapsible corrugated tubular metal wall or bellows normally held in engagement with said flange 44 by a coil spring 41 reactingbetwen said head 46 and a suitable springseat 43 provided on the movable head 42. Valve stem 45 has suitable engagement with the valve member 33 as shown at 43 and said valve member is held in engagement with said valve stem 45 by a coil spring 43 reacting between said valve member 33 and a suitable seat 53 provided in the casing l3. The ex- 63 fixedly secured in any suitable way, at one end, to a flange 64 formed on or suitably attached 'to said wall 62, and fixedly secured at its opposite end, in any suitable way, to a head 65 formed on or suitably secured to the inner end of post 53. Wall 62 has formed thereon or suitably attached thereto an outwardly extending flange 66 slidably mounted in a tubular housing wall 61 mounted on the block 53 and attached thereto in any suitable way as by one or more screws 63. The opposite end of tubular wall 62 is hermetically closed by a block 63 here shown as provided with a threaded recess in which is received a flanged head 13. Slidably mounted on the tubular wall 32 is a ring 1| which is normally held in contact with the flanged head 13 by coil spring 12 reacting between said ring 1| and the flange 66. Ring 1| is formed on or suitably attached to a tubular member 13 here shown as attached to a head 14 engaged with the end of a stud 16 provided with splines 11 that engage in slots in a plate 13 secured to a second block 13 to which the tubular wall 61 is also attached as by one or more screws 33. Stud 13 has a threaded head 3| which cooperates with threadsin a surrounding rotatable sleeve 32 that has a post 33 projecting exteriorly of the block 13 and on which is mounted a knob-34 for rotating the its communicating passages 33. 51 and the tube subjected, and inasmuch as suitable operation of the thermostat including the expansible and collapsible chamber involves the conduction of heat thereto from the fluid in the passage 52,

said thermostat would not properly respond if the temperature in the passage 52 became that of the ambient rather than that of the medium undercontrol. Accordingly the passage 52 is provided with a bleeder opening 88 (shown in dotted lines) in communication with any suitable part of the system for returning same of the medium to the inlet passage 55 so that a slow circulation is maintained through the passage '52 rectly through the contents or chamber 31 or by heat conduction through the casing walls, causes 7 a contraction of the expansible and collapsible chamber 5|, moving thevalve chamber 33 into contact with its seat 35 and opening the ,port of valve seat 34 leading to passages 30 and valve seat 25. Under these conditions the valve member 24, in its position as shown in the drawing, would permit maximum flow of the cooling medium past seatto the outlet passage 32. As

' the temperature in the room or compartment containing the bulb l0 decreases the liquid in bulb l0 contracts, efiecting a contraction of chamber l2 and thereby moving valve member that position at which the desired temperature is maintained. It the temperature in the room or other compartment continues to decrease valve and said passage is subjected to the temperaations in temperature in the room or other compartment in which the temperature is to be controlled, and further assuming that a source of heating medium has been put in communication with the inlet passage 55, said heating medium may flow through the inlet passage 55, filter chamber 53, passage 52, past valve seat 35 to chamber 31, and thence through passages 3| to valve seat 21. The heating medium in chamber 31 maintains the thermostat including expansible and collapsible chamber 5| in its relatedly expanded condition holding valve member 33 against its seat 34 and preventing flow of the medium through the passages to valve seat 25. Valve member 24 as shown is in contact with its seat 21, preventing flow of the heating medium to the outlet passage 32 and thence to the heat exchanger, which is the position assumed by the parts when the temperature in the room or other compartment has reached the maximum desired temperature. If thetemperature in said room or other compartment decreases the liquid in bulb |0 responds to the decreasing temperature and ,by contraction permits contraction of the expansible and collapsible chamber I2. Valve member 24 is thereby moved from its seat 21 by the spring 28 so that heating medium may flow past the seat 21 to the outlet 32. Valve 24 will move away from its seat 21 until the quantity of heating medium supplied to the heat exchanger establishes the desired temperature. If the temperature increases the liquid in bulb l0 expands and expands chamber l2 to move valve member 24 back toward its seat 21, ultimately engaging said seat and discontinuing the flow of heating medium if the maximum desired temperature is again reached. It will be noted that the valve member 24 in this relationship of the parts moves toward its seat to decrease heating medium flow as the temperature rises, and moves away from the seat to increase heating medium flow as the temperature decreases, as is proper for the control of a heating medium.

Now assume that the inlet passage 55 is placed in communication with a source of cooling medium. The cooling medium, whether acting dimember 24 will ultimately engage seat 25 and cut off the flow of cooling medium. If the temperature in the room or other compartment rises, the liquid in bulb l0 expands, expanding chamber i2 and moving valve member 24 off its seat 25. In this relationship of the parts it will be observed that the valve member is moved away from'its seat to increase the flow.of cooling medium upon increase in temperature at the bulb l0, and is moved toward its seat to decrease the flow of cooling medium on decrease oftemperaturev at the bulb ID, as is proper-when the thermostatically operated valve is controlling the flow of a cooling medium.

The temperature to be maintained by the aforesaid operation of the thermostatically operated valve mechanism may be nicely predeterbeing prevented by the splines 11.

movement is transmitted, in one direction or the mined by the rotating the knob 84 which, by reason of the threaded cooperation between the sleeve 82 and the head movement-of the stud 16, rotation of the latter Thereby other, to the slidably mounted unit composed of head 14, tubular wall 13, ring 1|, spring 12, flange 66, and tubular wall 52 with its block 63 and flanged head 10, to apply pressure to or release pressure from theliquid in chamber 6| so that, by contraction or expansion of the bellows 63, liquid may be forced from or withdrawn into said chamber 6| through passages and 51 and tube 55 to cause chamber I2 to increase or decrease in volume and thereby move the valve member 24. with respect to its seats to cause an earlier or later engagement therewith with variationsof temperature at the bulb ID.

If the liquid in bulb l0 should continue to expand after the valve member 24 has engaged its seat, the expansion is transmitted. through tube 56 and passages 51 and 50 to chamber-5|, whereby the unit composed of tube 62, bellows 53, block 69 and head 10 may move upwardly, as viewed in the figure, bellows 53 being contracted and flanged head 10 moving away from ring 1|,

' liquid charge in expansible and collapsible chamber 5| should continue to increase in temperature after the valve member 33 has engaged its seat,

the pressure applied to movable head 42 may cause cox tin-ued expansion of the chamber 5|, against the tension of spring 41, the tubular wall 43 sliding on the stem 45 away from the 8| causes rectilinear,

permits relative movement therebetween. as is' apparent.

, It will therefore be perceived that by the present invention a temperature regulator has been provided whereby the valve mechanism for pre- 2 I chamber in communication with said thermostat determining the flow of either a heating or a cooling medium may be properly conditioned so as to move in proper direction with respect to its seat depending upon which .medium is to be controlled, and this is effected automatically when the medium is introduced into the system. The valve mechanism so provided varies its position progressively to adjust the flow to maintain the desired temperature without the disadvantages incident to a valve operatf on wherein the valve moves from wide open to fully closed position, or

vice versa, and moreove: means have been provided whereby the temperature to be maintained may be nicely predetermined by readily operable adjusting mechanism. The regulator further- .more assures that increase in temperature after a valve member has engaged its seat shall not be productive of destructive pressures within the regulator. The regulator is relatively simple in construction, easy to install and adjust, inexpensive to produce, and highly efllcient in operation.

and means for operating the same to adiust the temperature at which'said thermostat responds to the temperature to be controlled, said chamber being telescopically movable with respect to said last named means for relieving pressure on said thermostat i! the temperature at said thermostat continues to rise after said valve member has become seated.

3. In a temperature regulator of the type for controlling the flow of either a cooling medium or a heating medium to a heat exchanger which includes a valve member, a pair of ported valve seats with which said valve member is adapted to cooperate, a thermostat subjected to the temperature to be controlled and operatively conmostatically operated valve member for predetermining whether the flow of medium shall be to one or the other of said ported valve seats, means {or adjusting the temperature at which said first named thermostat responds to the temperature to be controlled including an expansible and collapsible reservoir for the thermosensitive liquidwith which said thermostat is, charged and disposed exteriorly of but in communication with said thermostat and comprising a tubular wall, a corrugated expansible and collapsible wall arspect to said corrugated wall to vary the volume While the embodiment of the invention illustrated on the drawing has been described with a considerable particularity it is to be expressly understood that the invention is not restricted thereto, as the same may take a variety of mechanical expressions, some of which will. now readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art, while changes may be made in the details of construction, arrangement and proportion of parts, and certain features used without other features, without departing from the spirit,o the invention. Reference is therefore to be had to the appended claims for a definition of the invention.

What is claimed is: 1. In a temperature regulator for controlling the flow of either a cooling medium or a heating.

means to assure response of the latter upon a.

change in the temperatureiof said medium.

2. In a temperature regulator for controlling theflow of either a cooling medium or a heating medium to aheat exchanger, the combination of a valve member, a pair of ported valve seats with which said valve member is adapted to cooperate, a thermostat subjected to the temperature to be controlled and operatively connected to said valve member, means responsive to thetemperature-oi the medium flowing into the regulator for determining whether said medium shall flow to one or the other or said valve seat ports, and an expansible and collapsible of said chamber.

- 4. In a temperature regulator of the type for controlling the flow of either a cooling medium or a heating medium to a heat exchanger which includes a valve member, a pair of ported valve seats with which said valve member is adapted to cooperate, a thermostat subjected to the temperature to be controlled and operatively connected to said valve member and a second thermostatically operated valve member for predetermining whether the flow of medium shall be to one or the other of said ported valve seats, means for adjusting the temperature at which said first named thermostat responds to the temperature to be controlled including an expansible and collapsible reservoir for the thermosensitive liquid with which said thermostat is charged and disposed exteriorly of but in communication with said thermostat 'and comprising a tubular wall,

a corrugated expansible and collapsible wall ar ranged coaxially therein and forming therewith a chamber for said liquid, a member slidably mounted on the exterior of said tubular wall, a flange on said tubular wall, resilient means surrounding said tubular wall normally holding said member in engagement with said flange, the opposite end of said tubular wall being provided with an abutment io'r said spring, and means operating on said member, and through said resilient means on said tubular wall, to move the latter telescopically with respect to said corrugated wall and vary the volume of said chamber.

5. In a temperature regulator of the type for controlling the flow of either a cooling medium or a heating medium to a heat ex'changerwhich includes a valve. member, a pair .of ported valve seats with which said valve member is adapted 'to cooperate, a thermostat subjected to the ternperature'to be controlled and operatively connected tosaid valve member and a second ther- -mostatically1operated valve member for predetermining' whether the flow of medium shall be to one or the other or said ported valve seats, means for adjusting the temperature at which said first named thermostat responds to the temperature to be controlled including an expansible and collapsible reservoir for the thermosensitive-liquidwith which said thermostat is charged and disposed exteriorly of but in communication with said thermostat and comprising a tubular wall, a corrugated expansible and collapsible wall .arranged coaxiaily therein and forming therewith a chamber for said liquid. a member slidably mounted on the exterior of said tubular wall, flanges disposed at the opposite extremities of said tubular wall, a coil spring surrounding said 

